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Jesus
Christ is the shepherd of the Church. The Holy Spirit creates
and sustains the Church through the Gospel and thereby unites
believers with their shepherd and with one another in the
household of faith.
The
oneness of all humanity, for each person has been made in
the image of God, created by God and breathes with the breath
of life given by God. In the Gospel we all are one in Jesus
Christ.
The
evangelical mission of the Church is to all people. Each person
is called by the Spirit to receive the welcome, comfort, shelter,
and redeeming love of the Church; to partake in the gifts
of the Word and Sacrament as a member of the family of faith
in response to and faith in the Gospel; and share in the mission
and ministry of the Church.
In accordance
with the Gospel, this faith community rejects distinctions
among people for reasons of race, ethnicity, color, gender,
physical challenges, sexual orientation, cultural heritage,
or any other false dichotomy when these distinctions result
in divisions to the family of God, for the very
diversity of humanity reflects the image of God.
Who
We Are Not:
Sometimes
the distinction of what something is can be found in describing
what it isn't. This is especially true if there are preconceived
ideas involved, such as with a group that is named Catholic,
or a group named Old. Listed below are a few things we are
not, and may be helpful to see how our group can be a part
of your life.
We
are not in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic Church is complete, whole and perfect in
and of itself, just as the Anglican Communion, the Baptists,
The Congregationalists, the Lutherans, the Methodists, the
Moravians, the Presbyterians and other religious groups are.
Each group has a distinct ministry and a necessary part in
Gods plan, as is described in 1 Cor 12:12-14:
For
just as the body is one and has many members, and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is
with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized
into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and we
were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does
not consist of one member but of many.
Perhaps you are looking for a community in which to minister.
Be open to see how the gifts of the Spirit are at work in
our community.
We
are not a Church of people who long for the good old days,
or to change the world to make it better. God is guiding us,
and will transform the world of today into the household of
God through us as we seek out who we are in the face of justice,
mercy, and love. The world as it is now is exactly where it
is supposed to be as God presents us with the possibility
to make a difference in our lives and the lives of all we
meet.
We
are not a Church of liberal-minded or conservative-minded
people. Rather we are a Church of People, people who are
willing to be part of making a difference in their lives and
the lives of others.
We
are not a straight Church, a gay Church, a Church of the young
or the elderly, or of any particular race or ethnicity.
We are a Church that recognizes the extreme privilege we have
in each and every person whom we touch and by whom we are
touched.
We
are not a Church of yesterday or of tomorrow; we are a Church
living in the present. Living in the present means we
can choose for each moment who we are going to be in light
of the Good News of Salvation.
We are not a Church of dogma or doctrine. Yes, we have
scripture, the creeds, the first seven councils of the Church,
as well as the Declaration of Utrecht. All of these give a
base for our faith, which is described in the Book of Common
Life. As a part of the Catholic Church, however, we fully
believe that the primary judge for our own actions is the
review of the individual conscience. Paul chides us in Romans
14, 10-12:
Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or
you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will
all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written,
As
I live, says the Almighty, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.
So
then, each of us will be accountable to God Let us therefore
no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead
never to put a stumbling-block or hindrance in the way of
another.
Note:
God speaks to us - each of us - in our daily lives.
So as the Church can decide what it does and does not believe
as a whole, so too the individual can decide what they believe
as an individual.
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- love
- compassion
- inclusiveness
- diversity
- friendship
- prayer
- unity
- service
- kindness
- tolerance
- family
- justice
- unity
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